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alignment

Brands often overlook the very foundational elements that help them make the toughest decisions. Core values determine the characteristics and beliefs of a brand and allow organizations to make ethical decisions based on social issues and other needs. Let’s unpack this a bit more to really understand the hidden purpose of core values. You just might be surprised.

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Too many mico, small, and medium sized organizations neglect the simple foundational elements that enable them to make the incredibly tough decisions. Decisions that affect brand perception. Decisions that affect partnerships. Decisions that affect staff and even potential revenue.

When Core Values Aren’t Clear

As you navigate through your entrepreneurial journey, you run up against challenges of all types. Challenges that involve ethics, social issues, employee behavior, and the values of brands that you partner with. With all of these challenges, decisions must be made. With each decision, it can either help or hurt your brand value on all fronts: customers, potentional customers, and employees.

It can feel extremely difficult to make the right decision on behalf of your brand. While many business owners and executives struggle with this, it is often because at the root of it all, the values of the brand are blurry. When your core values are not clear, making decisions is incredibly difficult.

The One Quote That Resonated With Me

I came across a quote from Walt Disney’s brother and business partner, Roy. What he said really resonated with me. It made everything about decision making less blurry. And I’ve been quoting it ever since, as it affects nearly every decision a business makes, especially when it comes to brand strategy.

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy Disney

The quote is so simple, yet incredibly powerful. We all inherently have values that we live by personally. We are able to make decisions for ourselves based on what our values are. The same is true for a brand. Your brand has a set of core values that guides it forward and enables its executive team to make decisions. When you know your values, making decisions become much easier.

Core Values Makes the News

As I have become more aware of how incredibly powerful a set of core values are, I have begun to see them pop up in main stream media. Just yesterday, Kellogg’s announced that they have chosen to pull their adverstising from Breitbart’s website properties. Kellogg’s reasoning was that Breitbart no longer fits their core values and they feel this would be a disservice to their audience.

From the New York Post, Kellogg Co. spokeswoman Kris Charles says the food company works with media buyers to ensure its ads “do not appear on sites that aren’t aligned with our values as a company.“

Kellogg Co. was able to come to this decision easily as it simply referred to its values and determined that Breitbart was not a good fit. Why? They know what their company’s values are. If a business partner or platform does not align with their values, the decision is clear that it is not a good fit.

Operating from this perspective, it makes decisions simple and objective, while allowing the brand to continue forward with its momentum.

The Hidden Purpose of Core Values

Core values go much deeper than a way to connect with employees on the surface. They are values that are adopted by the brand and are to be upheld by all team members. Their hidden purpose is that they are an incredibly simple, yet effective tool when it comes to decision making.

The next time you have a business decision to make, first check it against your core values. If you feel that the decision you are making fits within the values of your brand, you are in the clear. If there is any concern, or a team member feels there is a misalignment, you know that is a topic for further discussion.

Do you use your brand’s core values in the decision making process? Leave a comment below or tweet me @BWarsinske.

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